Electric lamp holder for elongated tubular lamps having parallel contact pins



Nov. 4, 1952 J H F. VAN WERD ETAL ELECTRIC LAMP HOLDER FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS HAVING PARALLEL CONTACT PINS Filed April 13, 1950 J. H.F. VAN WERD C.H.J. ANDERSON vAGENT Patented Nov. 4, 1952 ELECTRIC LAMP HOLDER FOR ELONGATD TUBULAR LAMPS HAVING PARALLEL CON- TACT PINS `lohannes Hendricus Franciscus van Werd and` Charles Henri Joseph Anderson, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignors to Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Hartford, Conn., as

Application April 13, 1950, Serial No. 155,599

In the Netherlands April 22, 1949 g Claims.. (o1. 17e-gaze) invention relates to holders for supporting one end of a discharge tube comprising two parallel contact pins. Such holders consist of a base provided with a slot for the introduction of the contact pins, which slot leads to the location of these pinstwo contact springs arranged laterally of this location and a slide made from insulating material, which slide is urged by a spring over the said location in the direction of the slot. 1n these holders, the slide serves to cover the contact pins at the location if there is no `disclfiarge tube in the holder. In the conventional holders the exact position of the `tube is generallyvdetermined by the fact that the contact springs embrace the pins to a greater or less extent, and by the pressure of the slide. This construction has a limitation in that the position of the tube depends upon the interaction of two factors namely the resilience of the contact springs and of the spring acting on the slide. Furthermore, the resilience of the slide is transmitted in part to the contact springs and the fastening means thereof. Owing to this, the said spring acting on the slide in the known constructions, must be comparatively slack, so that there is a greater risk that the slide sometimes remains open, even in the absence of a discharge tube. In this event, a further drawback is experienced, since the contact springs embrace the pins (U. S. patent specification 2,259,096) and the defect of the holder is not manifest to the user.

The object of the present invention is to arrange that the contact springs serve exclusively to establish the contact with the pins, without affecting the position of the latter, which position is only determined by the pressure exerted by the slide of insulating material.

According to the invention, the contact springs at the location of the pins extend rectilinearly and parallel to one another and to the direction of motion of the slide so that the slide urges the pins of the tube only against parts of the wall of the location.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into eiect, two examples will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a holder i. e. the side where the pins are inserted;

ing a construction of the contact springs different r from the constructions shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

the back has a cavity housing the contact springs 2 and 3 and the slide s withvv the corresponding.'

spring 5. At the back of the base the cavity is closed with a plate 6 of insulating material. The base and the slide also consist of such a material, for example of synthetic resin.

The base is provided with a slot 'l for the introduction of the pins of the discharge tube, which slot leads to the location 3 of the latter. In Fig. 1,.the location is shut oby the slide 4. The tube may be introduced into the slot 1 in the usual manner with the two pins 9 and ID above one another (Fig. 3), the pins subsecuently reaching the location 8 and contacting with the springs 2 and 3 by a quarter turn of the tube. The slide 4 is rst depressed against the action of the spring 5 and subsequently the slide I urges the pins against the parts II and I2 of the wall of the location 8. The lower part of the spring 5 engages a part I3 of the base, so that the force of this spring and its reaction do not affect the springs 2 and 3. Conversely, the latter do not ailect the position of the pins 9 and III, since they extend, at the location, parallel to one another and to the direction of motion of the slides (vertical direction in the drawing). Consequently, the components, in a vertical direction, of the forces exerted by the contact springs on the pins are zero or at least negligible relatively to the forces exerted by the slide.

Fig. 4 shows a holder having a similar construction to that shown in Fig. 3, the identical parts having the same reference numerals, except that in Fig. 4, the contact springs 32, 33 have a slightly different shape. Of course, the contact springs 32 and 33 need be parallel only where Jthey engage the pins 9, I0 of the tube when the latter occupies its final position determined by the location so that the presence of bends 34, 35 at other points, as shown in Fig. 4, does not naturally a`ect the envisaged effect.

Finally, a few construction details of the represented lampholder are given below.

At its lower end, the base is provided with two shoes I4 and I5, between which passes a screw for :fixing the assembly.

The springs 2 and 3 are clamped in the cavity of the base since they engage, about half way of their height, the cams I6 and I 'I at the inner side of the side walls of the base. At the lower end the springs Z and 3 have secured to them contact blocks I8 and i9 which are perforated and in which supply conductors are clamped by means of screws 20 and 2l. The blocks I8 and I9 are enclosed by projecting parts of the base, thus xing the position of the springs in a vertical direction.

The slide 4 has two cheeks 22 and 23 sliding behind the edges 24 and 25 of the base. At its other end the slide 4 slides against the inner side of the rear wall 8, which may consist of paper soaked with synthetic resin. Its upper end lies behind a shoulder 26 of the base and its lower end is connected to the latter by means of a hollow rivet 21. Furthermore, this lower end has two projecting parts 28 and 29 which permit the holder to be fixed exactly in mounting it in a lighting fitting.

What We claim is:

1. A socket for a lamp having a pair of spaced parallel contact pins comprising a base of insulating material with a slot extending to one edge thereof and of a width to receive either of the contact pins and of a depth to receiveA both of said contact pins, a slideable member of yinsulating material movable Within la recess `in said socket relative to the slot and forming with the walls vof rthe slot a receiving space for the contact pins, a pair of spaced contact springs each having iiat contact surface portions extending parallel to one another and to the direction of movement of the slideable member at said receiving space, and means to urge said slideable member toward the walls of said slot bounding said receiving space -to urge the contact pins against the Wall of said slot when said contact pins are rotated from their position of insertion into said slot and while said pins are in contact with the contact surface portions of said contact members. 2. A socket for a lamp having a pair of spaced parallel contact pins comprising a base of insulating material with a slot extending to one edge thereof and of a Width to receive either of the contact pins and of a depth to receive both of said contact pins, a slideable member of insulating material movable within a recess in said socket relative to the slot and forming with the Walls of the slot a receiving space for the contact pins, a pair of spaced contact springs each having flat contact surface portions extending parallel to one another and to the direction of movement of the slideable member at said receiving space, and a spring urging said slideable member toward the walls of said slot bounding said receiving space to urge the contact pins againstl the wall of said slot when said contact pins are rotated 90 from their position of insertion into said slot and while said pins areiin contact with the contact surface portions of said contact members. JOHANNES HENDRICUS FRANCISCUS vAN WERD. CHARLES HENRI JOSEPH ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2259,096 Alden Oct. 14, 1941 2,261,900 Cavanagh Nov. 4, 1941 

